


Timeless, We are

by Love_Me_Some_Grayson



Series: Young Justice Works [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 09:39:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Love_Me_Some_Grayson/pseuds/Love_Me_Some_Grayson
Summary: In which no matter where, how much, or in what way, Dick Grayson willalwayslove Wally West.





	Timeless, We are

**Author's Note:**

> Last edited: 2019/02/19, 19:46

This is a mistake and a half, if you ask Dick. He wouldn’t tell anyone, but looking at himself in a leotard makes him want to puke. He kind of wishes Wally was here to help him swallow down his nerves, but he decided that wasn't an option. No one here would be able to help him if he crumples down in a heap of panicked sobs and frightful hyperventilating; not like Wally could, at least. Bruce even double checked to make sure he would be okay on the mission, despite knowing Dick would throw on a devious smile and agree easily.

He probably should have taken up the offer of staying home. But alas, he’s here now, and about to go perform in ten minutes. He decidedly does _not_ want to be here. M’gann walks over to him with a certain look in her eyes.

“I know you don’t want me to look into your thoughts, so I won’t, but… Are you okay?”

He turns to the Martian with his signature grin. “Never been better. You’ll find I’m pretty good at the whole acrobat thing.”

“Oh, really? That’s so cool!”

Dick feels the willingness to keep his smile on his face slowly waning. “You ready?” he asks, more than ready to have her cheerful inquisitiveness off of him.

“I’m hoping my powers give a convincing performance, but I’m excited.”

He must look Joker-levels of maniacal with how fake his expression feels. “Yeah, well, enjoy yourself. You don’t get this opportunity often.”

M’gann walks off with a cheerful nod; how she has so much energy is beyond him.

“We’re on in two,” Artemis calls. _Great_.

Conner walks over to him and gives him a once over. “You’re boiling up.”

“Fuck you Supers and your super senses.”

Irritation seeps into Conner’s brows as he levels Dick with a glare. “One, not a Super; two, don’t go on if you’re sick.”

“Good thing I’m not sick, then.”

 

 

Maybe he’s a little more sick than he thought he was.

In his defence, he’s gone on patrol with Batman while he felt like dying from a cold, so working through sickness is something he’s used to. This cold, however, mixed with acrobatic activities that he hasn’t performed in years, seems to be intent on dragging him down. He hasn’t messed up yet, but if he’s not careful, he definitely will.

He puts his focus into his next move; flip, grab onto M’gann’s hands, flip, land. Easy enough.

Except for the part where, in his ill state, Dick underestimates the distance he actually has to cover in order to reach M’gann’s grip. He misses by a couple of inches, but those inches are enough for him to lose his momentum and begin falling.

He hears M’gann scream his name somewhere in his mind, but all he can think about for a moment is how poetic this all is, dying the same way his parents did. Then a familiar face, with green eyes and brick-red hair. For a split second he thinks of not moving, of just letting things happen as they should—until he doesn’t, metaphorically shaking it off and steeling his nerves.

**“Don’t blow our cover!”** He’s trying his best to make a plan of action, but no matter how he looks at it, he’s about to be a birdie pancake on the floor of the circus tent.

**“But saving your life’s okay?”** One of the green barrels Conner was tossing flies his way—bless this motherfucker and his super strength—and Dick is brought close to M’Gann once again.

And _again_ , he misses by two inches. _What is_ wrong _with me today?_ Her eyes briefly glow green, dragging Dick up to where he needs to be before they land as gracefully as they can on their platform.

**“What did I _just_ _say_?”**

They finish their act relatively seamlessly, so Dick counts it as a win. He takes full advantage of the crutch M’Gann is providing him with; she’s pleasantly warm, despite that being one of her biggest weaknesses. How is she from Mars and weak to heat? That doesn’t make any sense.

**“Robin,”** M’gann laughs, **“maybe you should lie down? I’ve never heard your thoughts so… pointless.”**

Artemis snorts. **“Yeah, that’s usually Wally’s job.”**

God, he really misses Wally.

They get backstage, and the sound of the face-painted twins giving them the stink eye certainly does not help Dick’s desire to lie the fuck down and take a goddamn nap. Despite the annoyance they are, though, he’s glad Roy brought his attention to it; they’re good suspects, and ones he takes note of. Interpol makes his headache even worse, but at this point he’s just sort of along for the ride.

 

 

The mission goes down in flames; quite literally. Dick nearly passed out in the middle of said fire, and if that isn’t a sign to take a nap, he really doesn’t know what is.

 

 

He wakes up the next day to hear Haly attempting to defend himself to Interpol.

This entire case is just one flaming disaster, isn’t it?

When he thinks about it logically, _objectively_ , it would make sense for Haly to be the one behind all of it. What other reason would there be for all of his employees going around and stealing weapons? He and his circus are the only ties he can think of.

Even so, he blows up at his four teammates and walks out on them. Very not-Batman-like.

He shouldn’t be out here in the snow, dressed like he is. His feet seem to have a mind of their own, though, so he’s walking along the train tracks, passing poster after pos—

Well _shit_.

The Flying Graysons. He didn’t think their poster would still be up, after all this time. Haly always said he and his parents had been exceptional. Maybe it was a memento of his favourite act.

Dick’s communicator beeps jarringly in his ear, dragging him out of his thoughts with its annoying chirp.

“Uh—yeah.”

_“Dude, where are you?”_

Dick has never been so happy to hear one person’s voice _in his life_. Having Wally here in person would be an even better gift, but he’s not about to spit in this blessing’s face. “Confidential mission. From Batman.”

_“_ Wow _. You know what I’m doing? Making a bologna sandwich. Kinda like you just did.”_ Dick almost laughs; he doesn’t think anyone will ever know him as well as Wally does. _“I just talked to Tornado, you guys are not on a mission. Not an official one, anyway.”_

He lets out a sigh before speaking softly. “A friend; Jack Haly.” He explains the situation to Wally in enough detail for his stress to get across, continuing to walk down his planned—or unplanned—path.

_“Then why not bring me along?”_ The hurt is evident in Wally’s voice, and while that wasn’t Dick’s intention—it never will be, Wally means too much to him—it’s simply something he’ll have to deal with. _“I know your backstory. I know what that circus means to you. It’s where you grew up. It’s… where you lost your—”_

“I left you behind _because_ you know my backstory. I don’t want my best pal questioning my objectivity.”

_“Dude. That’s what a pest pal’s_ for _.”_

Goddamn Wally and his logic. “Yeah. You’re right.”

_“Are you coming back soon? This place is empty without you, and there’s only so much food I can have to fill the hole in my life.”_

This time Dick lets his laughter out. “Whenever this mission Is done, Wally. I—” He clears his throat before trying again. “We should do something. When I get back. We don’t hang out as often as we used to.”

_“We do things together pretty often.”_

“I mean sans masks and mustard yellow suits.”

Wally hums around his mouthful of bologna sandwich. “It’s on, then. We’ll plan something when you get back.”

“Bye, Wally.”

“See ya later, Dick.”

It’s nice to hear his name, sometimes. Especially from his best friend.

 

 

The Parasite is probably one of the worst things that could have happened to Dick on this fuckery of a mission. He would much rather get tossed around by Bane than this load of crap. He should probably tone down the swearing, lest Alfred chew his ear off in his posh manner for it, but as he’s devising a plan to _not_ have their asses handed to them, he couldn’t give less of a fuck.

And of course, Conner has to go beast mode and royally mess up whatever shreds of a plan Dick came up with.

“Okay, cool fine, whatever. I just need to… fix that.”

Roy is absolutely seething in his place, completely right to do so in Dick’s opinion, but he can give Conner a hard time later. Right now, he’s waiting for a lightbulb to—

“Miss M,” he whispers, “how horribly weak are you to fire again?”

Artemis looks ready to smack her hand to her forehead. “This conversation _again_ , Robin? I get it when you’re sick and a little delirious, but come on.”

“No, seriously. Powers and weaknesses go hand in hand, right? So what’s to say that if we light it up around Parasite over there that it won’t hurt him like it hurts Miss M?”

“That’s… not a _horrible_ plan,” M’gann says, almost reluctantly. “What do you think?”

Roy’s jaw clenches briefly in consideration. “Big risk to take on a theory.”

“Do it,” Dick whispers. “Go.”

And it all goes surprisingly well. With no unplanned outbursts from Conner and a uncharacteristically snarky M’gann, they apprehend Parasite without a hitch. Dick just wants to go home.

 

 

Everyone else is otherwise indisposed when Dick trudges through the portal of Mount Justice.

“Dick, hey.”

Wally’s voice is enough to give Dick a little burst of energy and calm him down at the same time, as odd as that may be. “Wally…”

He feels his knees give out from under him, but Wally is quick to catch him. “ _Dick_ , are you okay?”

“I… no.” Dick looks up to lock eyes with Wally. “Help me to the couch?”

Much to his chagrin, Wally picks him up as if he was a feather. “You been skipping out on your meals, Boy Wonder? You weigh nothing.”

“Shut _up_ , old man.”

“I’m only a year older than you!”

Dick smiles to himself as he leans his head against Wally’s shoulder. “Something you hold over my head every chance you get.”

He hears the other boy grumble something under his breath, but Dick doesn’t waste what little energy he has left trying to decipher what it was; instead, he focuses on Wally’s heartbeat, rapid and strong in contrast to Dick’s own.

Dick feels their movements come to a stop and suddenly there’s a hand brushing through his hair. It’s a pleasant and reassuring action, and one Wally always does for him without a second thought. He tries to move off from Wally’s lap, but the arm around his middle pulls his side even closer to Wally’s chest.

“Bats told me what happened at the circus,” Wally whispers. “You fell?”

Dick tenses. “Yeah. Conner caught me, though, so I’m fine.”

“I didn’t say you were injured,” the redhead amends, “but ‘fine’ is a whole other category I don’t think you fall under.”

Dick loves Wally and his big heart. “I—” He takes a deep breath before trying to continue his thought. “I thought I was going to end up like them. Dead at the circus. I-I wanted you there, you know? And I know I said I didn’t, but I was falling, and I wanted you there. _So badly_.”

“Damn, Dick,” Wally whispers, voice doing nothing to hide the tears waiting to fall, “you tryn’a guilt trip me for not making my way over to you? Cause that’s not fair.”

“Nah.” Dick burrows his face into Wally’s neck. “Just realized how much you mean to me.”

Some part of Dick expects a joke to fall from Wally’s lips, but no; he’s just hugged tighter and isn’t let go until they fall asleep together.

Dick’s glad he has someone as wonderful as Wally for a best friend.

 

>< 

o.O.o

>< 

 

Wally is probably the person Dick trusts most in the world, especially when he’s weak.

Dick’s on the verge of tears when he walks over to Wally’s house, covered in bruises and bones aching with every step he takes, _but_ —he needs to see Wally. He has to. Mary might kill him, but that’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make.

He knocks on the door twice, kicking his foot into the stone of the porch while he waits. This is _such_ a bad idea.

Mary opens the door with a frown. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”

Dick feels his cheeks heat up as he continues to hold Mary’s gaze. He’s being so _stupid_. “I—can I see Wally? Please?”

“I appreciate that you value my son, Dick, but he has school tomorrow, and his first year is importa—”

“Dick?” He looks past Mary’s shoulder to see Wally; Dick feels the pain all over his body immediately diminish. “Dude, what _happened_ to you?” Wally is quick to usher Dick inside, despite his mother’s protests.

“Your mom is gonna kill me,” Dick murmurs.

“Let her try. You’re my priority right now.”

Affection burns happily in Dick’s gut as he sits down on Wally’s bed. “I’m really sorry for dropping in like this.”

“Hey, my door’s open to you twenty-five-eight. You can have whatever you want from me; whenever, however, whyever.”

Dick lowers the hood of his sweater, showing his split lip and bruised brow bone, among several other injuries, in full light.

“Dick! Who did this to you!?” It’s almost like Wally hasn’t seen him when he was barely clinging onto his life.

“Some thug,” he explains, “but I said something to piss Bruce off so he left me to my own devices. Not for me to learn my lesson or anything, but you know how he gets when he’s pissed.”

“I thought he was just pissed all the time.”

Dick laughs, despite how it hurts his lip. “You’re not wrong. I managed to make him Platinum Pissed.”

“I’ll be right back with a first aid kit, okay? I know you have this shit on hand, but I don’t really need it that often. Back in a flash,” Wally says, giving a cheesy wink before leaving in a blur.

When he returns Dick glares at him playfully. “You’re awful.”

“Well then I’m about to awfully stitch you up.”

“Please don’t fuck me up.”

“What if I left you a lightning bolt-scar? You could one-up Harry Potter.”

Dick laughs hard enough for Wally to become incapable of doing what he has to do. “Walls, _oh my god_ —”

“You’d look hot as a wizard, not gonna lie.”

Oh. _Oh?_ “You—uh—huh?”

Wally smiles sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry, that was weird. But all I’m picturing now is you in a green tie with big glasses—”

“Why am I a Slytherin?” 

“Dick,” Wally says seriously, “are you _really_ asking me that question?”

The younger huffs and shakes his head. “Shut up.” He looks up at Wally from under his bangs; he should probably cut those soon. “You… you like guys? Or just me?”

“Looking for a compliment in there, Boy Wonder? I don’t think I can go beyond my one-a-day limit, sorry.” Dick shoves him hard with his foot. “But to answer your question: yes, I like dudes. And dudettes.”

“Please never speak again.”

The shark-like grin sent his way forces him to smile just as bright. “Aw, you don’t like hearing my voice?”

“Not when it’s spewing bullshit like it is right now.”

“ _Richard Grayson_ ,” Wally gasps, “what would _Bruce_ think of your potty mouth?”

And suddenly Dick’s happiness has been drained from him. “Bruce has a lot of things to say, apparently.”

Worry contorts Wally's face as he gently places his hand on Dick's knee. “What’s going on with you two, anyway? Whenever someone mentions him you get bristlier than a cactus.”

“He and I don’t see eye-to-eye anymore.” Dick’s  frown deepens. “If we ever did.”

Nothing else is said for the duration of the time it takes to fix Dick up. Wally’s hands are so gentle when they wrap bandages and apply alcohol, and he has to wonder what it would feel like to fall asleep beside Wally. He runs so much hotter than everyone else, he knows that, but how hot? ‘Occasional-removal-of-covers’ hot? Or ‘please-don’t-come-near-me-with-your-flaming-body’ hot?

“Well, you’re all fixed up, Dick.” Wally looks at him with an emotion that Dick is struggling to name. “Stay.”

“ _Huh_?”

“Tonight. Here. Stay. Take my bed. I…” Wally shakes his head as he stands up from his crouched position. “He left you, intentionally or not, to get hurt. I don’t want you going home to him tonight.”

“Walls—”

“Please, Dick?” Wally’s eyes are desperate, and Dick is helpless to say no to something so raw. “It wouldn’t be the first time we had a sleepover. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind. I’ll even run you to school tomorrow.”

Dick grins at Wally tiredly. “My very own transportation service? Your offers are too good, Wally.” His hand twitches with the thought of cupping Wally’s jaw. “But I’ll take the couch or something—”

“No,” the redhead insists. He bites the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Listen, none of us want to be the one to hog the bed.”

“Agreed.”

“So, let’s just share it.”

Dick’s brain short circuits for a second. “Y-You’re su-sure?” Goddamn that _spluttering_.

Wally laughs joyfully. “Sure, dude. We’re best friends.”

“Yeah,” Dick says, brimming with fondness. “We are.”

He doesn’t expect the hug Wally gives him, but it’s something Dick appreciates more than words can express, so he wraps his arms around the elder just as tightly as he’s being embraced.

“I love you, Dick, you know that? Something bad happens to you, I’m kicking the ass of whoever’s responsible; even Batman.”

Dick wants to cry with the love he has for his friend. “Thank you, Wally.”

They get into bed soon after, facing each other while they keep a respectable distance. Dick worries his bottom lip between his teeth as he stares off into the distance. Sleep doesn’t seem to want to join him anytime soon.

“Something on your mind?”

Dick jumps a little; Wally seemed to be sleeping, but that's clearly not the case. “Yeah, but you don’t have to—“ He stops talking when he sees the look on Wally’s face. “I’ve… been thinking about leaving the Robin job behind.”

“Hm. Alright.”

He blinks owlishly at his redheaded friend. “’Alright’? That’s it?”

“I thought we established what I thought about the way he treated you. Besides, you’re completely capable on your own. You’d’ve left us in the dust as team leader, but that’s because you work so much better when you do more and talk less. Being your own person, both with the mask and without it, will do you a lot of good.”

“God,” Dick groans, tone light, “when d’you get you wise, huh?”

“It only seems to come out when you need it to.” Wally finally opens his emerald eyes to look at Dick. “You have a name yet? Costume?”

“Well the costume is definitely an afterthought, but… Nightwing. Clark mentioned it once and it kind of stuck.”

“’Nightwing’, huh?” Wally smiles blindingly at him. “I love it.”

Dick would call himself Shitsack if it gets that sort of reaction, holy _crap_.

 

>< 

o.O.o

>< 

 

There are few other people Dick enjoys spending time with more than Wally.

For Dick’s eighteenth birthday, the rest of the team has planned a spectacular surprise party for him. It’s not that he’s completely adverse to surprises, quite likes them when they’re birthdays, but he pieced it together a while back when M’Gann accidentally let too many things slip.

The memory of Wally’s eighteenth birthday had been a bittersweet one for Dick; of course, he got a lot more time than any of his other friends did, but then Wally went home to spend the night with Artemis, and Dick felt—hollow. If there had to be a word to describe it, it’s hollow.

But, that was two years ago, and Dick can only be happy for the couple; Wally lights up like a lantern whenever she’s around and Dick just wants him happy, no matter the cost.

“Nightwing!”

Dick turns around to look at Wally with an amused expression. “Kid Flash.”

“Oh, come on, that’s not cool.”

He gives the speedster a shit-eating grin. “What’s wrong, _Kid_?”

Wally tackles him to the ground in the blink of an eye, but Dick still manages to be the one on top. “ _How_?” Wally cries. “That shouldn’t have even happened!”

“You attacked someone who trained under _Batman_ , Wally,” Conner reminds with an arched brow. “I’m surprised you’re not missing your bowels yet.”

Dick waves at Conner, who only nods a response before leaving the room again. He looks down at Wally with a softer smile than he was wearing before. “How you been, Walls?”

“We talked yesterday, jackass.”

Dick huffs in fake petulance. “Well, here I was trying to strike up a conversation.”

He kind of wants to stay here forever; Wally is looking at him with such a giddiness that makes Dick want to blush. But then M’Gann is walking into the room and the illusion is ruined. Dick jumps off of Wally with his usually grace and holds a hound out for the man on the floor to take.

It’s a little bit of a predicament to straddle a taken man, anyway.

 

 

Dick pretends to scream in shock when his team ‘surprises’ him with the party. The League is here too, all clapping him on the back for living this long under the same roof as Bruce. He laughs, but he’s honestly just as shocked as they are.

A lot of gifts are given, and Dick isn’t sure he has the room for all of them in his new apartment; it’s only got room for him and the cat he’s never going to get, so he’ll probably have to sort through ‘keep’, ‘regift’, and ‘immediate garbage’ right in Mount Justice. M’Gann is glowing with pride when Dick gives the thumbs up on the cake. It truly is good, and he almost asks if he can take some home, but then it strikes him: if he wants more cake, he can just call it all off and take it home. It _was_ made for him, after all.

Barry comes over and gives his hair a thorough ruffle. “Hey, Dick. How’s it feel, turning eighteen?”

“Good, I guess?” Dick answers with a laugh. “I still have a takedown planned for tomorrow though, so my age is going up with my stress.”

“That’s how it works, so look forward to it.” The blonde’s eyes shift from mirth to something more serious. “Has Wally talked to you at all, lately?”

“Barry, with all due respect, we talk to each other more than actual brothers do.”

Barry gives Dick a once over that puts Dick off beyond words. “Right. Brothers. My bad.” His smile is back on his face, and _what the fuck_? “I forgot how close you two were.”

“Kind of hard to do…”

“Also true.” Barry looks at him one more time. “Just… be gentle with him. He cares about you, and when you get hurt, you’d think he was in your shoes.”

“He has a big heart,” Dick says, as if that’s an explanation enough.

“Sometimes he acts like it beats for you.”

Okay, what the _fuck_?

Barry’s gone before any questions can be asked, and Dick sighs as he looks down into his cup of champagne. It’s weak, but not horrible. He hasn’t seen Bruce yet, which, to be fair, isn’t a huge shock. He’s been pissy and moody ever since Dick had declared his independence from the man, and since he’s not like any other normal sort of father figure, that sat with a bad taste in his mouth. Not that Dick had cared upon his moment of departure, but still.

Someone taps him on his shoulder, and when he turns around he sees Wally standing there. He’s about to say something happy and light, but the uncomfortable look on Wally’s face make the comment die in his throat. “You okay?”

“Yeah, of course!” Wally says, with no conviction. “I just—I need to go. I’m _really_ sorry, but I promise I’ll swing by your place later, okay? We can have a party of our own, away from this great but admittedly very tacky party.”

Dick has to admit, the bright streams strewn about the walls is a bit much. “Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll save some cake for you.”

Wally gives a genuine smile that quells the worry in Dick’s gut quite a bit. “You know me _so well_.”

 

 

So maybe Dick has a little, miniscule, imperceptible crush on Wally West. Sue him. He’s not about to admit it on his own birthday.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look that way at anyone, _ever_.”

Zatanna’s quick to make fun of him for it, though.

Dick rolls his eyes over his glass of water. “Who asked you?”

“No one, but I’ve seen you two together before. You look at him as if he hung the moon and the stars.”

“He’s my best friend first and foremost. Nothing will ever change that.”

Zatanna hums, and she doesn’t bring it up again. It’s not as small as Dick would like to think it is, but it also isn’t as big as Zatanna is making it seem. Wally has just been there whenever Dick has needed him, like the good friend he is, and his brain is just starting to confuse those roles with that of a boyfriend. And he _knows_ Wally makes a good boyfriend, if the way Artemis talks about him is any indication, so it’s not like he’s curious about what it would be like.

“You’re going to get yourself hurt, Dick.”

He furrows his brows at Zatanna with a frown. “What?”

“Wally; he’s with Artemis. I don’t want you pining after him, hoping to change his mind—”

“Zatanna,” Dick grits out, “Wally is my best friend. He—and I do _not_ say this lightly—means the _world_ to me. He has his own place in my heart, and so _help me_ that will never change.” He leans forward, jaw trying to clench as he stares her down. “I would die over and over again if it means keeping him safe, and if that so happens to be an attribute of romantic love, then so be it. But that does _not_ give you the right to give me advice on how to love my friends. And you most _certainly_ don’t get to make assumptions about what I want for Wally.” He stands up abruptly, sending his chair rocking back behind him.

“Dick—”

Dropping a few bills on the table, Dick begins to walk away. “Tell them to keep the change.”

As he makes his way to his car, he replays what he said over and over in his head. If he’s being honest, he sounds like he’s in some Earth-shattering romance with someone, but that’s not what's happening. It never will be, when it comes to Wally.

 

 

Wally doesn’t even pretend to be cheery when he shows up at Dick’s apartment.

“Blüdhaven, huh? Didn’t think you’d ever leave Gotham.”

“Makes two of us.” Dick wants to ask what’s wrong, but the words don’t want to fall form his lips.

Wally turns to face him with his whole body. “I’m sorry I had to miss your party.” The redhead moves to sit down on the couch not too far from where they stand. “Artemis needed me for an emergency.”

_Girlfriend trumps best friend’s birthday, apparently._ “Something happen?” Because no matter how hard he tries, he'll always want to help his best friend.

“Oh, yeah,” Wally laughs bitterly. “Shit happened alright. She broke up with me.” He sits down on the couch, a little defeated, and brings his palm up to his lips.

This is situation #439 that Dick has _no idea_ how to handle. “Oh—shit. Are you okay?”

Wally doesn’t say anything for a little bit, simply staring at Dick his hand covering his mouth. Then he moves the hand, dropping it to his side as he puts his legs up onto the couch so he’s facing Dick once more. “I could be better. You wanna know why she did it, though?”

“If I’m being honest, I’m a little more concerned with why you’re not more upset—”

“She said it’s because I’m in love with you.”

Okay, this is too much for Dick to even _begin_ to compute. “ _I’m sorry_?"

But Wally just continues. “I thought about it on my way over here, and I wanted to be mad at you. I wanted to be _enraged_ with you, for being the reason Artemis broke up with me, but I couldn’t. So then I thought M’gann said something, or maybe someone else. Someone that didn’t understand why we’re as close as we are. I tried finding every _possible_ reason to explain this, except…” Wally is gone in a flash, instead standing less than a centimeter away from Dick. “ _Except_ that I _was_ in love with you. And you know what? That’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

“Walls,” Dick whispers, weak, because _fuck_ , his mind was _reeling_ with memories and emotions, “take a second and think. Your girlfriend just broke up with you. I care about you way too much to be a rebound.”

He’s almost afraid he’s hurt Wally, with how silent it is now in the apartment, but then the elder is stepping back with an apologetic look on his _very cute_ face. “You’re right. I’m sure what I’m feeling is real, but… you’re right. I should give you time to think. Process. I didn’t even think about how what I said could _change things_ , hole _crap_ —”

“Wally.” The redhead freezes to look at Dick with wide eyes. Dick steps closer, slowly, and presses a soft kiss to Wally’s cheek; he hates that he loves his need to lean up a little. “Your plan is a good one. Let’s take some time for ourselves. Come back this Saturday, okay? And we’ll see where we stand.”

“But it’s _Tuesday_ ,” Wally whines. “My world goes so much slower than yours a lot of the time.”

“Not if you’re studying for your classes like you should be.” Dick smirks when the man in front of him starts to splutter. “Exactly.”

Wally shakes his head fondly as he wraps his arms around Dick. “Happy Birthday, Dick.”

“Hm, if this goes like I hope it will, this is the best damn birthday gift I could have ever received.”

“Fuck!” Dick jumps at the exclamation, looking at Wally as if he’d grown an eye where his nose should be. “Your gift!” Wally’s clearly distressed, so Dick takes it upon himself to calm the other down.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s not like this is the last time we’ll ever see each other. Give it to me whenever you feel like it.”

Wally clearly isn’t pleased with the concept of leaving a birthday gift to the last minute, but he also seems more focused on taking in every detail of Dick’s face. “Fuck, you’re stunning.”

Dick’s face runs red hot, and he shoves Wally a little. “What did we _say_ , dude?”

“What, I’m not allowed to speak the truth anymore?”

“Oh my _god_ —”

 

o.O.o

 

So Dick is currently trying is best to stay alive in a fight with some goo monster on the edge of Gotahm city on Saturday night. Truly, he’d rather be waiting on his couch with a loose sweatshirt and no underwear until Wally came a’knockin’ on his door, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for him.

Fuck this, honestly.

“Why am I even here?” he mutters to himself. “I don’t work in Gotham anymore.”

He knows exactly why he’s here; Jason died not too long ago, and Batman is out of whack in more ways than one as a result. He has a plan to defeat this thing—he thinks, anyway—so now it’s just a matter of executing it.

He hears a screech of pain come from the monster that almost makes him jump. He spins on his heel to see a yellow blur in the distance.

“ _Kid Flash_!” he cries, absolutely delighted. “God is it good to see you.”

“Well, you skipped out on our date night, so imagine how heartbroken poor me was, waiting outside your door like a lost puppy.”

Dick grins so wide he feels his cheeks hurt. “Help me take down this thing and you’ll get to see the bedroom.”

“Now _that’s_ an offer no sane man can refuse.” Wally runs laps around the monster fast enough for it to be spun into a longer piece being thrown around the Wally-induced tornado.

Dick readies a net from the bag in attached to his bike and his charges escrima sticks, shouting for Wally to stop. The monster hits the ground with a thud, and Dick throws the net over it; Wally helps make sure it’s completely covered. Thanking the metal-laced material of the netting, he drives his escrima sticks down into the net even as the monster lets out a horrible cry.

After a moment, the monster dissipates into something akin to water. Whether or not it’s actually defeated is a mystery, but he’s being picked up and carried off by a certain speedster before he can say anything. They’re in a back alley somewhere else, and Wally is looking down at him what can only be described as hunger.

“I gotta admit, this Nightwing suit is doing everything right for you.”

“God, are you always gonna be this horny?”

“Oh right, I’m sorry Mr. ‘You’ll-Get-to-See-the-Bedroom’.”

Dick laughs—cackles, is more like it—and brings his hands to hold Wally’s jaw while the elder’s come down to grip his hips. “It was a serious offer, Walls. We should go to my place.”

In two seconds, Dick’s back is planted into his couch.

“I’m not even going to ask how you got in here without a key.”

“Good,” Wally hums, “because I wasn’t about to answer.” His hand brushes Dick’s cheekbone, fingertips grazing the edge of his mask in a way that’s asking for permission. Dick feels his chest light up, spirals of light speeding up and down his spine at how  _gentle_ Wally is being with him.

“I’d let you open my chest to see my heart, Wally, my whole face isn’t an issue anymore.”

Normally Wally would make some peanut gallery comment on how gross that would be, but for Dick to say something that meant being so _vulnerable_ —it’s an honour that he takes very seriously. So, he takes off Dick’s mask and pulls down his own hood, and somehow this is the most them it can be.

Somehow their personas, somehow not, but together in the way they didn’t know they wanted and intent on never letting go; Wally’s shamrock eyes digging deep into Dick’s azure, looking for the soul that Dick believes to be shattered beyond repair; limbs tangled to the point where neither of them can tell what’s what or whose.

Dick didn’t know how he’d almost let himself miss this, almost let himself fall into the hole of denial when he could have just let himself _want_. Maybe it was a self-defence mechanism, to be fair, because until recently Wally was very taken by someone that wasn’t Dick.

Those thoughts are quickly squashed as Wally bites down on his neck. “ _Shit_!” It was hard, and maybe drew a little blood, but _fuck_ if Dick doesn’t want that again.

“I didn’t think you’d like that,” Wally hums, smug as ever. “But I’m glad to do it again if you ask.”

“God, fuck you,” Dick groans; he has _some_ dignity.

“I mean, maybe another time, Dick.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe _you’re_ the idiot I fell in love with.”

They both freeze like statues. Dick expected to fly out of his mouth eventually, but it was still a shock, and Wally—well he was almost breaking down with how wide his eyes were. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head. But then he’s looking up with the most _loving_ look in his and—Dick can’t _breathe_.

“You’re perfect.”

“I’m not,” Dick presses, because he isn’t. Not by a long shot.

One of Wally’s hands cups Dick’s cheek—a perfect fit, they both note—and the redhead leans impossibly closer to Dick. “You are. You’re perfect for me. I… was just too stupid to realize. _Way_ too stupid. I’m in love with you, Dick Grayson.”

Dick lets out a giggle, an ecstatic sound that makes Wally’s gut do all sorts of flips. “And I’m in love with you, Wally West.”

And however they manage it, with their costumes askew and faces flushed crimson, they confirm it within their own heads:

_My soulmate_.


End file.
